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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · rash · degree · pass · stock · track · roll · chair

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. degree — an amount
  4. degree — temperature
  5. rash — a series
  6. degree — from a university
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. chair — a leader
  12. track — a song
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. roll — a cake
  15. rash — hasty
  16. stock — goods
  17. pass — a permit
  18. roll — a list
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a path
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. mine — for digging
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com